By OWEN MORRIS
Another day, another Top 10 list at Another KC Blog, which comes up with 10 excellent choices like The Reuben at Browne’s Deli in the nine spot. It also has Minsky's prime cut pizza which I think is good but I decided to go for one of Minsky's competitors.
My number seven spot goes to D'Bronx, specifically the pizza at the 39th Street location. This is my most controversial choice because D'Bronx pizza isn't owned by its original owners; besides, it has started to expand and is named after New York not Kansas City. So why include it? Because while the D'Bronx has New York roots, it's uniquely Kansas City.
First, it's true D'Bronx has lost a step in recent years, and the new Johnson County location has poll numbers about as favorable as Dick Cheney's. Still, I was at the original location recently and the pizza was essentially the same as it's always been: a little too much cheese on top so that it scrunches up, but not so much that you can't taste the sauce. A crust with lots of corn meal specks on the bottom, and big, hearty pepperonis.
What sets the original D'Bronx apart from every other pizza joint is not just good pizza, but also the building. Stepping into D'Bronx is like stepping into another time. Most of the walls are covered in graffiti; if you are a long-time Kansas City local, chances are you will spot either a friend's tag or maybe even your own. A year ago, a friend I hadn't talked to in months called me to say she saw my signature on the D'Bronx wall. (Second booth from the front, around eye level.)
Yet for all the tags, tattoos and rock n' roll fliers, D'Bronx remains a family place. Often, grandparents appear to be hosting full-on family reunions on the long rectangular table in the south room. In that sense, D'Bronx is what an Italian eatery should be: a place to gather.
If the food was sub-par, the building wouldn't matter -- but the food holds its own against the back-drop.
The menu is surprisingly large and every now and then it's fun to just order a sandwich I've never tried. But if you have to pick one item, you have to go with a slice. It's the signature item and also D'Bronx at its best. I've been happier with the basics -- cheese or pepperoni -- than with the more outlandish slices, but whether the toppings are cheese, pepperoni, pineapple or basil, they always taste fresh. And the slices have that crispness that only comes from being cooked in a real pizza oven -- the bottom of the crust is gritty, dark and not appetizing to look at, but damn, does it taste good.
If I only had to have one slice of Kansas City pizza for the rest of my life, it'd be D'Bronx.
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The Johnson County location is fine. It's not as good as 39th, but it's the best place to get a bite out that way. Would the complainers rather visit the Buffalo Wild Wings in the same parking lot? How about a compare/contrast article, Owen?
While I agree the 39th St. location is the better of the two, I don't understand the constant ragging on the Metcalf version. It is jam packed every time I visit, and everything I have had there has been fantastic (primarly the reubens and pizza). Regardless of location, D'Bronx is certainly my favorite pizza in town.
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